Black Siren (Episode 34)
by grandvizier527
Summary: Lance's relationship with Kristin becomes problematic after she reveals what she's been keeping a secret from him.
1. Chapter 1: Neil

Episode 32: Black Siren

T

The Lunis family was idling their time away one dull weekend. Ilana was out with Jason on a date while Octus was in the kitchen, eating popsicles and surfing the Web using his CPU. Lance absentmindedly strummed his guitar a few times, trying to think of a song, but nothing would come to him. He called Kristin with his armor.

"Hello? Are you…?"

"Relax, Kristin, it's me, Lance!"

"Oh, sorry, Kristin apologized. "There wasn't any caller ID. Kind of weird."

"No, that's my fault, I'll get that fixed," Lance replied, reminding himself to get Octus to tinker with the armor a bit to fix that issue. Ilana had been having the same trouble with Jason. Then again, since Octus could just conjure up cash at will they could just both get cell phones. But Lance did not want to leave that up to Octus—he always found a way to make sure that Earth technology could go from fun gadget to alarm system in seconds. And what with everyone having this thing on their phones called Siri nowadays…

"Anyway, I was gonna call to ask if you wanted to just hang out," Lance said, not wishing to think of what would happen if Octus learned about Siri.

"Definitely. My parents are out, they won't be back until tomorrow."

"Ok, then, I'll see you there," Lance declared, eagerly ending the call so that he could get on over to her house.

"Lance," Octus began, "I believe the primitive AI functions on Siri may allow us to—"

"Octus, who needs Siri when we have you?" Lance said with a rather uncharacteristically warm smile.

"Well, that's very nice of you, Lance, but…where are you going?"

"Kristen invited me over," Lance explained rapidly as he walked quickly to the garage.

"Don't stay out too long or I will be forced to investigate," Octus warned sternly. Lance shuddered but went out anyway.

Kristin opened the door for him and invited him inside to the living room. They sat down on the couch for a moment, side by side.

"Glad you could make it," she said, ending her remark in a sigh. "You know, sometimes I just look at you and I can't control myself."

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing," Lance said. Without warning Kristin embraced him, and they kissed heavily. Lance dimly remembered that the teenagers on Earth called this "making out". This only lasted for about a minute, though, before he pulled himself out from under her.

"I didn't just come over here for this," Lance said, straightening himself out. His hair was usually messy anyway so there was no need to adjust it. He wasn't sure if Octus could remotely sense his location or hormone levels and didn't want to take a risk.

"That's fine," Kristin said, although she sounded a bit disappointed. She turned on the TV, and much to Lance's chagrin a news story regarding Titan's latest exploits was playing. "What is it with the media and they're obsession with this giant robot?" she groaned. Lance chuckled.

"I swear, it's like the media hired some guys to go be him and then endanger Sherman just for ratings," she added humorously. "But seriously, who do you think is behind Titan? I mean, what is it?"

"Probably just some government experiment type thing," Lance suggested quickly. "The aliens all want something from around here and the government found out, so they're using Titan to stop them."

"But…what?" Kristin asked, leaning her head back on the couch. "What could they possibly want with Sherman? Oh, well, we got rapid-response construction crews working round the clock."

"Yeah," Lance remarked. Even Octus was impressed with how quickly damaged buildings could be repaired or replaced, and this service seemed to only be in Sherman.

After watching a bit more TV, Kristin suddenly got up and turned it off. "I want you to see something," she said.

"If you want me to show you my room next, there's nothing much in there," Lance replied, hoping to guess his girlfriend's intent.

"No, it's not in the house," Kristin replied with a giggle. "Don't be so quick to jump the gun." Lance followed her to her car outside, wondering how a gun could be "jumped". Did she mean to say jump _on _the gun? It was an Earth expression, sure, but Lance wanted to figure it out to save himself the humiliation of having the more earth-savvy Ilana or Octus explain it to him.

He followed her outside to her car, and she drove to some part of Sherman that Lance didn't recognize.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"You'll see," she promised. "There are some friends of mine you haven't met yet."

_Like Devon? _Lance wondered. Kristin tended to skirt around the subject whenever he asked about him—evidently she didn't like to be reminded of the fact that they had gone out before. All she had said was that he wore long-sleeved shirts often to hide his tattoos at school. After some inquiry through Octus, he found out that apparently tattoos had criminal connotations, although Octus had also paradoxically explained that it was just a stereotype and that most people with tattoos simply got them for purely cosmetic reasons. Lance didn't like the idea of getting ink under his skin—who knew what Earth dyes could do to a Galalunan's skin? Kristen had pestered him about it once but she had dropped the subject soon enough.

Kristin drove down a particularly shabby-looking street, parking her car in front of a two-story apartment complex.

"It's on the first floor, seventh room on the right," she explained. Lance had no choice but to follow her, watching as she gave a quick nod to the clerk at the front desk, who seemed to be just a few years older than they were.

"He's with us," Kristin explained to Lance. "Everybody is trustworthy here."

"There aren't that many people around here to trust to begin with!" Lance remarked. "What's up with this place?"

"The place is…mainly for us," she replied. "You'll see."

_Something doesn't add up, _he thought, _But I can trust Kristin. Maybe not these other people, but definitely her. And evidently she trusts me with this._

They arrived at the door and Lance could hear voices inside, although he wasn't sure what they were saying. Kristin knocked on the door and got her answer quickly. A boy just a few years older than Lance with holed jeans, black boots, a nose ring, a black t-shirt with a skull on it, and a green mohawk stood in the doorway, grinning from ear to ear.

"Kristin! Haven't seen you here in a while!" he cried, gripping Kristin's hand with a handshake. "Who's that guy behind ya?" He asked.

"Hey, Neil," Kristin said with a smile. "This is Lance Lunis; we go to the same school."

"This dude doesn't look like your type," Neil remarked. "Doesn't look like _our _type, in fact."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lance demanded, instinctively placing a protective hand in front of Kristin.

"Relax, just a joke! Good reflexes, man," Neil chuckled. "Seriously, though, I trust ya, Lance. Anybody who isn't a suck-up or goody two shoes is welcome."

"Thanks for understanding, Neil," Kristin said, relaxed. Neil stood aside as she and Lance entered the apartment.

"Things have been difficult lately, what with the, uh...fuzz crackin' down on us," Neil remarked.

"The fuzz?" Lance asked, but he received no clarification as to what that term meant. The furniture in the apartment was ordinary and typical for a standard apartment, but young people crowded the rooms, mainly drinking some sort of alcoholic beverages or smoking things. Lance was beginning to realize that his lack of Earth knowledge was really putting him in a pickle—chances are everything that typically went on here was either illegal or at least disreputable.

Lance noticed that more and more people were noticing him, most likely because he was knew. He hoped that they all tolerated outsiders the same way Neil did, or…

Suddenly one guy spoke up. "Hey! I know you! You're Lance Lunis!" The mention of his name had no reaction until the guy added, "This is the guy that got Mike Chan in the slammer!"

"You did?" Kristin asked with surprise. It occurred to him that he had never told her about this. "Why didn't you tell me, I could have gotten you in easier!"

"It didn't matter," Lance tried to say sheepishly, but he was drowned out by applause and cheers. "Why is everybody so proud of me?" he asked right after Kristin gave him a quick kiss.

"Mike Chan always came around here and stole from us," she explained. "His gang and ours have clashed before. We all know he was just too cocky, right guys?" she asked, being met with roars of agreement.

"A gang?" Lance repeated. He knew _exactly _what that was.

"Yeah, man!" Neil said, approaching him out of respect for having disposed of Mike Chan for them. "What did ya think we were, encylopedia salesman?! Of course we're a gang! We basically just go out and steal a few beers or some pot whenever we can, so we're not like, a mob or anything. Don't get the wrong idea about us, Lance. The only time we fight is with Chan or the cops. But when we do, we fight hard! Didn't yer girl tell you all this?" Neil asked, eyeing Kristin.

"Neil, he's on the outside," she said to him. "Like I told you, I…kind of had to downplay it.

"You never mentioned it at all," Lance pointed out. Kristin leaned in close and whispered:

"It'll be all right. Everybody likes you, you turned in Mike. Just chill here for a bit. Neil just says we're a gang to hype everybody up. We're…we're not that dangerous."

"Ok, I'll believe you, but I'm not staying long," Lance told her.

The rest of his visit was uneventful, and primarily consisted of observing everyone else to try and get an understanding of these people, all while ignoring the girls that tried to hit on him. One of them had insisted that dedicating oneself to a specific individual in a relationship was just an "opinion thing", but Lance didn't care. Once Kristin came back from wherever she had been—perhaps talking with Neil, Lance begrudgingly accepted that she was comfortable here—the other girls finally left.

He found it a little odd that she didn't want to socialize with most kids at school, but she was perfectly at home with these...Lance supposed it was okay to call them "criminals". But then he realized that would be hypocritical, considering he himself had been one, what with his various deeds done as a soldier on Galaluna, and when he illegally raced Mike a while back.

"I don't like this," he told her.

"I know," she replied, hugging him. "But thanks for sticking it out. Most of my other boyfriends didn't. Accept for Neil. The others just act like I don't even exist. Maybe it's for their own good." Lance didn't understand why she'd say that.

"I don't want to get involved in their...activities, ok?"

"Deal!" Kristin replied.

"Great, now can we go home?" he asked.

"Sure you can't stick around longer?"

"No, I can't. My family will start wondering."

"All right, all right."

**AN: Well, here's a new episode! Finally! This one should be a bit shorter. I simply have to edit some stuff because 1) It looks awful right now 2) Devon didn't exist yet 3) I might change the ending.**

**Thanks for everybody who waited for this unfair amount of time for something new!**

**And just an FYI: I'm keeping this at a PG-ish level. So yeah, Lance and Kristin rounded first base, but that's it. No lemons or fanservice here, I'm trying to preserve as much as I can of the original show. Minus the "minimal dialogue" XD**


	2. Chapter 2: Loyalty

Chapter 2

Ilana arrived home to find Octus making dinner for himself and Lance.

"I take it your date went well?" Octus asked. "I detected no major periods of distress in your brain."

Ilana groaned. "Octus, please refrain from monitoring me while I'm out. It's just creepy to know that you know everything I did and thought. And since you do, there's no reason for you to ask how it was for me!"

"Sorry," Octus muttered. Ilana sighed.

"It's ok," she said. "I might as well let you hear my side of the story. We went to Luigi's—you know, the same place you and Kimmy went to a while back? Anyway, I could tell Jason made a real effort to be courteous. He seemed to learn a few things from our last date. But he still didn't have enough money to pay for the meal, so I had to do it once again. And he spilled his drink on me...again. Other than that, though, I had a great time. He actually let me talk this time."

"What did you two talk about?" Octus asked. "That, I could not monitor." Ilana breathed a sigh of relief.

"Just school and gossip, nothing interesting," she said dismissively. "Afterwards, when the stars came out, he offered to drive me home, but I told him I'd walk. I kinda wanted to fly home with my armor after Jason left, but wanted to 'escort me.'"

"Sounds like something Lance would say," said Octus with slight amusement. Ilana giggled and nodded.

"On the way home," she went on, "We stopped by the park and just looked up at the stars again. He's really interested in stuff like that. After showing me a few constellations, we sat and chatted some more until I saw something that looked a little unusual. It was three stars clustered together. I don't know why, but I liked looking at them. And Jason was really sweet the whole time. But...I'm just not sure if it will work. I mean, I'm a princess, and he's just...a normal earth boy. He can't come with me to Galaluna, but I don't want to break his heart. I don't like thinking about it, though. Where's Lance?"

"I have been tracking his movements," Octus replied. "He's in the downtown Sherman area. I was going to get him, but before I left I noticed that he was already making his way here. He should be here in approximately 46 minutes."

46 minutes later, Lance arrived at the house and parked the car in the garage. Ilana was as inquisitive as ever. "You were with Kristin for a while. Where did you guys go? Did something happen?"

"Ilana, it's all right! Why does it matter to you? You I'm fine, she's fine, we're all fine!" he replied exasperatingly. He was starting to wonder if Ilana was trying to serve as the mother he never had.

"Sorry, it's just that you didn't seem to plan your outing with Kristin in advance. I was just curious."

"It's fine," he sighed. "I went to her house, we hung out, and I went to meet her friends, okay?"

"It sounds like something else happened," Ilana remarked.

"No. It's none of your business. I don't ever question what happens with you and Jason."

"What are you implying? Jason is very sweet to me. I'll bet he's more trustworthy than Kristin, with no surprises or mysteries attached."

Lance practically growled at her in response. "Every time we talk, there's too much drama! I'm going to my room, and don't even bother checking on me. Good night!" And with that, he left, taking his dinner with him. Octus could tell that Ilana was clearly a bit irritated as well.

"Why is he like this all the time?" she asked him. "I think it's Kristin's fault. She's just his one way ticket to freedom from me, isn't she? Octus, I think Lance hates me. We don't see eye to eye. We're just...incompatible."

"In what sense?" the robot asked.

"In every way," Ilana replied. "It's like we're constantly at war. I thought he'd be different after we had gotten rid of Thanatos. But I was dead wrong."

"Thanatos possessed Lance, in a sense," Octus reminded her. "He essentially had no free will, and was incapable of acting on his own. Not even his thoughts were safe. He told me. Perhaps he and Kristin had a fight. Like those couples on High School Heights."

"Well, they always solved things pretty quickly," Ilana pointed out. "Usually making out made them stop being mad at each other."

"I have told you before, Ilana, that program does not reflect real life," he said. "It contributes to media stereotypes about young people and—"

"I know, I know, body images, peer pressure, et cetera," she said. "And we only watch it because it's a guilty pleasure." Octus nodded approvingly.

"I believe Lance is going through a rough time," he went on. "This problem can only be solved by him alone. It may be something we should not intervene in. He and Kristin need to work out whatever is going on between them." Ilana sighed as she and Octus went to bed, hoping he was right.

_Maybe there's a way to get to the bottom of this, _she thought. _But do I really HAVE to get involved? _

She decided that she would, just in case Lance's well-being was in jeopardy. If one member of the Titan crew was suffering, then they all shared the pain.

. . . . .

The next morning, she and Lance went to school without incident. During lunch, she watched as Lance and Kristin left the cafeteria, leaving their food behind. She followed them from a distance to the back section of the parking lot of the school, where she understood they commonly chatted. It wasn't the most discreet location, but few teachers ever went around that area.

"Kristin, look," she heard Lance say, "I'm glad that those guys respect me, but I don't see the reason for the hero-worship. Anyone could have gotten Mike turned in."

Ilana nearly gasped. This involved Mike Chan? She saw now that it was good she had decided to figure out more, even if her tactics were less than noble.

"Remember what I said, Lance?" she heard Kristin reply. "It's either us, or nobody. You should appreciate the respect you get."

"Why does it have to be you guys or nobody? Why can't we just ditch these people?"

Kristin sighed. "It doesn't work that way. They don't take…ditching them lightly." Ilana wasn't sure what to make of that fact. She knew her small group of friends wouldn't like it if she abandoned them, but Kristin likely wasn't talking about just angrily looks and not wanting to talk to the "traitor" ever again.

"I wish you hadn't brought me into this," Lance said. A few seconds of silence, and then Ilana heard Kristin kiss him.

"I wish I hadn't had to," she said. "But I knew I could trust you."

The bell rang suddenly, and Ilana scurried out of there before she was caught, frustrated that she hadn't learned the full story. She managed to eavesdrop on them again after school, and their conversation conveniently picked up where it had left off, hiding from behind a parked car. She didn't discern much because it seemed that the two weren't willing to explicitly discuss anything regarding Kristin's associates in public.

"There's more to this, I know there is!" Lance said as Kristin started to walk away.

"Not anymore that you need to know!" she insisted, but Lance was persistent.

"You're going to answer me," he said as Ilana peered over the car, surprised with Lance's low and gruff tone with his girlfriend. He was gripping her arm now. "If you try to drive away now, I can catch up. Don't ask how; I just can." Ilana briefly recalled her trip to the mall and smiled a bit. If only Kristin had known what sort of a guy she had on her hands!

"Okay," she relented. "Get in the car and ride with me back to the apartment. I'll explain why I brought you into this there."

Having decided that she had followed them enough, Ilana flew home instead of following them in her armor. Once she got home, she informed Octus what she had discovered.

. . . . .

"Those guys broke into my house one night when my parents were away," Kristin began as she drove back to the apartment. "When they saw me they offered me to join them, surprisingly. I didn't want too, but they threatened to rob us of everything we owned if I refused or tried to call the police. I had to join them to protect my family, my home, and my life. I was scared at first. But soon they treated me as one of their own. They even paid me for...assisting them in raids on Chan's gang or stealing liquor. I was only caught once. My parents assumed I had become an alcoholic. Of course, when the next day came, I just gave it to my fellow members. They paid me extra, even though I got caught. They claimed I deserved it for 'surviving the man'. I soon starting befriending some of them. For the first time in my life, I felt appreciated. I felt bad for what I was doing, but at least it gave me friends. Though you've been a better friend than them."

"I was aware of the penalty for leaving," Kristin went on. "When I had my first boyfriend, we fell in love fast. I thought we were perfect together. But I knew I had to test his loyalty. So, after I made sure he was happy with me, I told him about the gang I was in. I tried to ask him to join, but he was just utterly shocked by the truth. So he broke up with me. And my other dates went even worse. I didn't connect with any one of them. I even tried dating some of the other members, but those never worked out, either. But then I met you. You looked like my type, and I was right. I realized that, after so many boyfriends, you're the only one of them that I could confidently say I loved. And I still love you, Lance." She stopped the car at the abandoned apartment. As they walked to their destination, Lance kept silent, questioning Kristin's motives in his head, as well as his own for even coming here. Was it really necessary to align himself with her like this? Were romantic relationships on Earth normally so binding like this?

"But I don't understand. Why do I have to join your gang to prove my loyalty to you?" Lance asked aloud, still a bit unsatisfied with Kristin's explanation. "It doesn't make sense."

"If you left, they'd hurt you, or worse, Ilana and Newton," she answered. "Maybe even me. But if you stay, everything will be all right. If you do choose to go, however, I'll know for sure that you never truly loved me, if you're okay with me being in danger."

"Kristin, no, don't leave because of that, that's ridiculous," Lance countered. "I can't believe you'd consider that just because I'm a bit hesitant with some of your friends."

"It's not about that, Lance!" Kristin snapped, raising her voice. "You don't know what it's like to feel threatened. You're tough, you can take care of yourself. You're not…some weak girl who has to work hard to fight off dangerous people. You have a family that has your back…I don't." Kristin's eyes watered a bit, and Lance was taken aback. _She's more right about me than she knows._

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "I didn't realize how this was important to you. I'm loyal to _you, _I want you to never forget that. But...I can't join this gang, even if they treat me like a hero. They're not you, they're..."

"I know who they are," Kristin said. "But if you just overlook that for a little while, we can get out of this."

"Not without difficulty," Lance pointed out. "I can't believe you've made me choose between your love and the safety of Ilana. But since I don't have a choice, I suppose I'll have to join." She hugged him tightly.

"Thank you so much for believing in me! We'll be happier this way, I promise!" Kristin insisted. "I know this isn't what you wanted, but now we don't have any secrets between us!" Lance nearly shuddered at her remark.

"Just keep everyone safe," he told her.

**AN: Well, guys, it's been a rough few months. Remember me having personal issues? Well, they didn't end. And remember my lack of writing? Well, I didn't get much of that done due to the stress and such. And remember me saying I needed to do stuff for college? Well, I was lazier with that than I intended to be. But…**

**I'M BACK! THIS time, I intend to be back FOR REAL. No more dumb breaks and hiatuses, no more insanity tearing me apart. No more wanting to write and then not actually doing it. No more tears and no more fears.**

**I have so many ideas and a finite amount of time to getting them down for y'all to see, fanfiction and original stuff included. But for now, at least you got this!**

**While I will admit that Steven Universe came along and replaced Sym-Bionic Titan as that cartoon I love watching, these episodes aren't ending. (Plus I can't write Steven Universe fanfiction, the show will run itself without me, this won't!) ;) Considering how much Ilana's and Pearl's hairstyles look alike, I can't just let the inspiration for Pearl's hairstyle not get home and restore her kingdom! So you could say I'm "doing it for her"…XD (But whom am I referring to?!)**

**Anyway, sorry this update did not come out when it should have. I hope to get back on track FINALLY.**


	3. Chapter 3: Danger

Chapter 3

Back at the house, Ilana confessed her spying activities to Octus, who reacted as she expected. "And to think, I had just told you not to get involved!" he scolded. She was thankful that he wasn't capable of expressing much anger.

"I know, I know!" Ilana said. "It was wrong and you're right to be mad. I mean, I wouldn't like it if you spied on me and Jason, especially after you had promised not to. But this was important. Lance's life might be in danger!"

"Possibly," Octus mused. "But you are not Lance, and therefore you do not know all of the situation. Most likely, he does. It would be best for me to hear both sides of the story before making a judgement regarding Kristin." Ilana shook her head.

"He'd just lie about it or avoid you," she insisted. "He's in love with her, so he might be too blinded by his feelings to understand the problem."

"I disagree," Octus said.

"Oh, well…I guess you're kind of in charge around here, so…"

"…In part."

"Huh?"

"Lance's attachment to Kristin has already posed a problem, as evidenced by the intelligence you have picked up from your unsolicited eavesdropping."

"I'm sorry, ok?"

"Indeed. But at heart, Lance is a pragmatist. He will circumvent any unofficial rules Kristin establishes for him, particularly anything involving the illegal activities of this gang, if he perceives himself or us impeded in fulfilling our primary objective—namely, protecting you. Remember the space station on the moon?"

"I remember Lance not wanting Arthur to sacrificing himself," she pointed out. "And this is different. Kristin is his girlfriend, not just some friend he hasn't seen in years. And she's not in danger of dying."

"True," Octus replied. "But Lance was willing to accept Arthur's sacrifice for the good of your safety and the destruction of that space station. I take this as evidence that Lance is able to look at the big picture, and not just his own needs."

Ilana didn't like the way Octus phrased his response. Lance's emotional needs weren't some petty luxury—even the robot Octus should know, considering that he had his own girlfriend whose safety he valued—and while she didn't trust Kristin she didn't want Lance going through any more pain of loss.

"Scanning your brain, I detect deep sorrow," Octus added.

"I'm just tired of losing people," Ilana said, a lump forming in her throat.

Octus subsequently decided that intervention was worth considering.

. . . . .

Just like with his last visit, Lance found Neil greeting himself and Kristin at the door. "Hey man! Welcome back!" he said, placing a hand on his and Kristin's shoulder.

"Hey, Neil," Kristin said with a smile, nudging Lance. Likely she could tell that he didn't like the way he touched her.

"Hello," Lance said flatly, staring at Neil. Neil just gave an amused grin in response.

"Relax, man, I'm not hitting on your girl!" he said, ushering them inside.

After he and Kristin got settled, Neil unexpectedly closed the door and the shutters to make some sort of impromptu announcement.

"LISTEN UP!" he yelled amidst the chatter and music. Inexplicably, everyone seemed to stop what they were doing to pay attention. Given his authority, Lance guessed that he was seen as the leader of the group. In light of that, why was he so eager to also serve as the doorman? Back on Galaluna that logic wouldn't have flown.

"Ok, guys, bad news," he went on. "Some idiot left this place guarded. Did you notice our goodies are a bit scarce? He broke in here last night, apparently. So that means people are going to have to start pulling more weight around here." He said this last sentence while giving a look towards Lance, who refrained from making eye contact. No way was he going to go acquire anything illegal to possess, although thinking back he had not known in his vigilante days that Earth even had illegal drugs.

"Also," he added, "Got word from the fuzz watchers that Chan's out. Something about a combination of good behavior and money."

Neil's words were met with cries of concern or frustration from the others. Lance had nearly forgotten Mike Chan, and the mention of his surname recalled unpleasant memories. His hatred for the man who had exploited his adrenaline to nearly have him killed in a race transcended any suspicion.

"Since that guy has the potential to ruin our lives if he gets his gang off the ground again," Neil went on, "I've decided we're gonna pay him a little visit. We can only bring in our best people. I know we're outnumbered anyways, but this guy can't push us around! The following people are comin' with me to Chan's new base, the old warehouse. Ya know, the one that they say had that ghost and those robots in it." Lance realized he meant the Thanatos incident.

Neil gave a list of names. "Tyler, Doug, Chloe, Chase, Rick, Kristin, Lance…"

Lance froze, realizing that he had been picked to participate in the defeat of his rival and remembering what Kristin had said about the penalties inflicted on non-compliant members of Neil's gang.

"See you guys tonight, okay? Everyone else can rest easy. The people I mentioned, well...don't be late, K'?" he said casually, with a smug smile. The rest of the night was uneventful, and most people left shortly after this had been said, save for a few volunteers who stayed to guard the apartment.

"I had no idea that he'd spring this on us," Kristin insisted once they got in her car for him to be dropped off home.

"I don't know if I can do this," he admitted. "As much as I hate Chan, I'm not going to be Neil's pawn."

"If you do this for Neil, he'll probably give you some kind of promotion," she insisted. "He'll most likely grant you some kind of immunity from actually doing anything bad, and then you can just be his guard. We'll both be safe, and he'll be satisfied."

"Appeasement," Lance growled. "I can't believe you'd stop so low as to _appease _this…random person. You still haven't given me a good reason as to why our relationship has to be intertwined with this gang."

"Lance…"

"No, _you _listen to _me _for once," he went on. "I thought you were stronger than this. I don't know why some guy you never even told me about is such a threat to you. You're afraid of some Earthli—of some guy, and you've been living in fear of him all because he has some physical prowess over you."

"It's not about _me, _Lance!" Kristin replied with a raised voice. "You…you wouldn't understand. You haven't had to plead with absolute monsters for your life, just to keep your parents safe, all because…I don't even really know. Neil just thought I looked helpless."

"Try me, Kristin," Lance said, letting the words slip out before he could restrain himself.

"Get out, now," she ordered.

"No, I really meant it—"

"GET OUT!" she screamed. "Just do whatever you want, I don't care! Be a coward like Devon, instead of a real man!" Lance obeyed, getting out of the car without even asking what she meant by that. Once he was out of her car, she drove away.

He caught a glimpse of her in tears, and waited for her to be well out of sight before activating his armor.

. . . . .

Much to his dismay, his makeshift family knew enough, and Lance filled in the blanks for them.

"We've got to do something," he insisted to Ilana and Octus.

"I agree," Ilana said. "We can't just let the young people be swayed by criminal groups like these!"

"I was just talking about Kristin," Lance reminded her.

"I know, but…from what you told me, this Neil person just loves to exploit people," Ilana said. "I can't just go home to Galaluna knowing that I left Earth in the same state when I went, or maybe even worse."

"Societal problems aside," Octus added, "I believe that there is a way we can rescue Kristin from the potential trouble later tonight."

"Fill us in, then," Lance commanded.

"Lance attends this event as per instructions from Neil," Octus explained. "When he arrives, he can get Kristin and convince her to leave with them."

"Do you think you could do that, Lance?" Ilana asked. He shrugged.

"If she could somehow stop seeing Neil as a threat, then maybe," Lance suggested. "Any ideas on that, Octus?"

"Yes, and it involves no direct killing," the robot declared. "Convince Kristin to leave amid the confusion, and explain that you can fake both of your respective deaths later. When you two leave, I will project holograms of your dead bodies. Neil will have assumed that you were killed by Mike and his associates, if the level of violence in this event is anything like we suppose it will be. Then Ilana will call the police, who can arrest everyone there once you both are at a safe location, preferably her or our residence," Octus finished.

"Hold on, how do I convince her I can pull that stuff off?" Lance said.

"He has a point," Ilana agreed. "Lance isn't exactly known for pulling off any sort of thing like that, but…"

"But what?" Octus and Lance both asked her. Ilana got her armor and contacted Jason.

"I need you to call Devon for more," she told him.

"What is this about? Do you want a tattoo all of a sudden?" Jason asked.

"No, this is much more important! I don't have his number and you do!" Ilana explained hastily.

"Fine, fine…" Jason gave the number and Ilana proceeded to call Devon.

"What up, 'unknown number'?"

"This is Ilana. I…"

"So, finally came around to the one-man Dev-team, huh?"

"What…?"

"...You mean you're not going to say you realized shooting stuff is cool when you do it right?"

"…No. Nor am I going to ask you out on a date."

"Whoa, whoa? Who said anything about that?!" he asked with a nervous laugh. "But seriously, you won't even consider it?"

"I need you for something more important."

Not even Octus and Lance knew what she had in mind.

"You guys just trust me, ok?" she said. "I think Devon will be a great asset to us."


	4. Chapter 4: Return of the White Dragon

Chapter 4

That night Lance initially did just as he had been instructed; arrive with no one else, park discretely by a factory no longer in use, and walk nearly half a mile through the woods to reach the warehouse on the other side of it.

Looking up into the sky, he saw a light fly through, blinking a few times as if it was just an airplane. But given what his armor watch said, he knew better than to assume that. He had to admit he was impressed by how well Octus could mimic an airplane's lights.

On his way, he ran into Kristin, who was conveniently alone so that he could inform her of Ilana's plan, which he briefly considered taking credit for.

"Hey, you came."

"Yeah, sort of. Look, there's a way out of this. Trust me. I've got backup and—"

"Backup? So you told _other people_ about this?" Kristin said. "Non-members? Lance, you've just gotten _more_ people into trouble."

"No, I haven't. Just follow my lead and start copying me once I snap my fingers," Lance said. "It's going to be our signal."

"Signal? For what?"

"No time to explain."

"Why not just leave now?" Kristin asked. "I mean, if I'm supposed to trust you, you've got some escape plan, right? Something that will guarantee that Neil won't come after us?"

_Yeah, why NOT do that?_ Lance wondered. _Oh, wait, I know…_

"These people have to be stopped, Kristin," he said. "It's not enough to just get you to safety. If they're anything like you've described them—and I trust you now even more than I did before—then these gang needs to be killed and its members in custody. _That's _what the plan is about. So just do what I say, not because I'm trying to be like Neil, but because I'm trying to lead you out of this mess." And so he walked on ahead, hearing Kristin follow him. Eventually the warehouse was within sight, as were Neil and his cronies.

"You know, your words…" Kristin suddenly started.

"Later," Lance urged. The pair joined Neil and the others at the back entrance of the warehouse, which was left unguarded. Lance supposed Mike and his gang didn't frequent this area, and he didn't blame them after that incident with Thanatos. From the side Lance could see a parking lot where the front entrance of the warehouse was, where Mike Chan's notorious pink car with the white dragon on it was. Just seeing that familiar car gave him a twinge of anxiety.

"Yeah! You made it!" Neil declared, slapping Lance on the shoulder, who immediately recoiled from his touch. Neil then withdrew a pistol from his coat pocket, surprising even the other gang members.

"You didn't say to bring anything lethal!" a stocky girl whispered in protest. "What kind of fight is this?"

"That's fine," Neil reassured her. "It's whatever sort of fight it turns out to be. Now get ready for signal." The group looked through the windows of the factory, confirming that the White Dragon was present with his gang. Lance, however, stayed back with Kristin.

"Just stick by me and we'll get through this," he told her. His watch suddenly vibrated, and a message appeared on the screen.

**Only one firearm detected. Neil. Proceed with caution.**

Octus. Lance was going to be ok.

"Who cares what time it is?" Kristin rasped. Lance simply didn't respond.

"Ready…" someone, presumably Neil, declared. His hand was on the doorknob, and other gang members were poised to knock down the windows to go through them.

"Set…" Lance was appalled by Neil's lighthearted take towards this, although he could have been deliberately using a race motif.

"Go!"

He grabbed Kristin and charged forward, searching for his enemies.

Mike and his cronies were on them in seconds, with two already attacking Lance himself. Given the shortage of weapons, he quickly assessed that this would be hand-to-hand fight. He proceeded to kick one guy, but then the other kneed him in the stomach for an immobilizing blow. Lance's intended target punched him in the face when the opportunity arose, and Lance recovered with his own punches. He struggled to retreat when he realized that he was bleeding out a bit too much, but one of Mike's minions got him in a headlock and punched him some more with his free hand, finally slamming Lance down on the concrete.

Naturally, this didn't shake him up too badly, although it certainly hurt.

Lance leapt up before the guy could deliver some sort of finishing blow, delivering an uppercut to his jaw and kicking him in his ribs. Finally he slammed the guy to the ground just as he had done to him seconds ago. With the second minion rushing at him with a knife, Lance kicked the guy in the shin, stunning him long enough for him to knee the guy in the stomach, then kicked him down.

With two enemies out of commission, Lance rushed over to Kristin, who was dealing with just one person. She was trying to hold off, blocking his blows expertly, but she could only hold off for so long. Lance, horrified that he had been separated from her somehow and that she had had to fend for herself, rushed over to help, only to be pinned down on the floor from behind by another of Chan's minions. He flipped Lance over on his back and began to punch him in the face. Through his battered eyes, Lance could tell that it wasn't some gang member, but Mike Chan himself, evidently savoring this unexpected turn of events.

"It's been a while, baby boy. Jail's been rough on me. Good thing I got out, or we wouldn't get to have this little reunion. How've you been?" he asked with a sneer. Mike kicked Lance in the ribs from where he stood over him and laughed aloud, knowing that Lance was too weak to respond.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Kristin was losing. The guy she had been fighting before was replaced by a much larger hulk of a man, who seemed generally impervious to her attacks. Lance watched in horror as he picked her up like she was nothing and slung her over his shoulder. As Kristin tried to get free, the guy delivered another blow, smacking the side of her face. Blood ran down her cheek, prompting Lance to try and wriggle free. He could not escape the crush of Mike's foot, however.

"Oh? Is that your girl? You two make a cute couple. You never told me about _her._"

"Leave her alone," Lance said, "Or I'll kill you!"

"You're in no position to make threats, baby boy," Mike replied, delivering yet another blow to Lance, this time a kick in the head. Lance knew there was one option left now.

Weakly snapping his fingers, he slumped down on the floor, forcing his eyelids to flutter shut and slowing his breathing. Mike looked quizzically at the snapping of the fingers, but didn't seem to get the message, since Lance could hear Kristin groan, evidently trying to make herself appear unconscious like he was.

"You keep an eye on'em," Mike said to one of his henchmen as Lance kept perfectly still. Then he seemed to disappear. Once the coast seemed clear, Lance tried to get up, only to be brought back down. Looking up, he saw that the burly one that had been pummeling Kristin earlier had been the one assigned guard duty.

"You ain't goin' nowhere, kid!" the minion said with a snort, but then he let out a yelp. Kristin gave a shriek and tackled him, landing on his shoulders and causing him to stumble forward enough for Lance to finally roll out of the way. Relieved to no longer be useless, he struggled to his feet, only to find himself not needed as Kristin kicked her legs into the guy's back and sent him crashing forward, jumping backwards to get off of him and land on her feet.

"Wow…" Lance gave a shudder. Thank goodness Kristin was with him.

"Lower body strength is more my thing," she admitted. "Now what about this plan?"

Looking around to hear gunshots amidst the fray of skirmishes, Lance decided that it was ok to go through with it all.

"Ok," he told his wristwatch and ignoring Kristin's strange looks, "We're good. Now get rid of these guys for us!"

"On it," was the reply.

"Devon?" Kristin asked. "How do you have his number?"

"I don't," Lance admitted sheepishly.

**AN: Please, just let me keep you in suspense for just a little bit longer! Although I will admit I'm not really building up to much besides the conclusion of the episode. No big revelations…yet ;)**


	5. Chapter 5: Xenon

Chapter 5

Through the windows a small, innocuous-looking remote-control helicopter toy flew into the warehouse. Lance felt more confused and upset then relieved. _This _had been Ilana's foolproof diversion to get them out of here and get Neil and Mike in jail? Kristin suddenly grabbed and send him down to the floor.

"I think we've been down here long enough," Lance protested.

"Crawl with me and breathe into your shirt," she ordered. "Didn't you see the canister attached to the toy's legs?" Lance obeyed, beginning question his autonomy in life. Was taking or leaving orders all he had going for him?

Once they were out, Kristin shut the door behind them. "We might as well get a head start on the gas," she said. "Any chance you remembered where you parked?"

"Uh…I didn't really come up with this whole plan," Lance admitted sheepishly. "I'm better with attack strategies."

"Never mind, the gas is seeping through the broken windows!" Kristin cried, grabbing Lance by the arm and running. But Lance was hesitant, unsure of where he was even going. As they ran, the helicopter suddenly emerged from the warehouse; the gas released had apparently been colorless but was doing its job quite well, as when they turned around to see the helicopter heading toward them they could see several unconscious figures in the building.

And it seemed that just by looking at them, Lance was growing drowsy as well…

. . . . .

Ilana appeared in the warehouse with her Corus outfit, scanning the building with her robot's built-in headlight. One person was returning to consciousness.

"Thank you for permitting me to collect a few samples," Octus told her. He was breaking off parts of his gel into bubbles, encasing pockets of air into them. Electrocuting the bubbles made them glow a whitish blue color.

"Fascinating!" he cried. "I'm pleased we were able to use Earth's own atmospheric gases against its malevolent inhabitants!" A voice came over from Ilana's watch armor.

"I was _going _to use nitrous oxide," Devon insisted.

"And I'm glad you didn't," Ilana added. "These people don't need any more psychological damage. They need help."

"Aw, come on, Ilana! They would have just had the giggles, that's all!"

"I find Xenon much more fascinating than this so-called 'laughing gas'," Octus said.

"What _I _find fascinating is where you got it from," Devon said. "I had all of this laughing gas stored away that I got from…deals, and you just had some Xenon all ready to go! Typical nerd, wanting to use the boring gas."

"If you would like an example of boring gas," Octus countered, "Try Helium. It is obscenely dull and atomically stable."

"Are you kidding, man? Helium inflates balloons and makes your voice high-pitched! You gotta try it sometime!"

"Government facilities tend to house a lot of stuff, you know," Ilana pointed out, not caring about the noble gas debate. She could barely even remember them from class.

"Government facilities? Gimme a break. How many street thugs did you two have to tangle with?"

"You never question the legitimacy of Gregory's rocket construction, or Mark's satellite construction," Ilana pointed out. "How do two teenage boys create a space-worthy vessel in such a short time?"

"They said they went to space camp a ton of times," Devon fumbled. "I mean, if you've got a good propulsion system and you know your stuff, I guess you can make a scientific breakthrough."

"If they can do implausible things, then so can we," Octus said.

"Whatever. Just get Kristin and Lance out of there and get your stupid Xenon. I tipped the cops off for you."

"Ok, just need one person…ah!" Ilana declared. She singled out an Asian girl who she had seen with Mike, prompting Octus to lift her into his main gel body.

"I'll isolate her from the Xenon," he promised. "But who is she?"

"Mike's girlfriend," Ilana said. "I can recall seeing her with him during Lance's driving fiasco. I don't think she's technically done anything wrong."

"Shirley? She's still with Mike?" Devon exclaimed. "He probably never let her go, did he? She's innocent, trust me. Take her with you and get her out of this."

"That's what I had intended to do!" Ilana reminded him.

"Oh. Thanks," Devon muttered. "And if you ever need me, just gimme a call."

"We would be happy to employ your services," Octus said. "But we must ask that you keep our mechanized counterparts a secret. The…United States government can't afford to have this information leaked until an opportune time in the future."

"I hear you. Devon out!" Once Devon had finally ceased communication, Ilana and Octus felt relief.

"You were quite wise to covertly ally with him," Octus told her. "Devon might be a useful asset, if not a serious liability."

"Yeah, one more favor and he'll ask for a date," Ilana sighed. "I should really start trying to be more introverted like Lance and not complicate my life on Earth."

"Ironic, considering our prior situation," Octus remarked.

. . . . .

Lance awoke to find himself back home, with Kristin waiting for him and giving him a hug.

"I'm free!" she cried, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Lance sat up and found that Octus and Ilana were also standing overhead.

_Better cover their tracks._

"Well, we're out!" Lance said to Kristin with a smile, getting up from the couch he had been lying on and embracing her. "I told you you just had to trust me."

"Yeah, and trusting _me _nearly messed it all up," Kristin recalled. "If we had just run out there who knows if your family would have been able to find us? And, well, I guess Devon was helpful, too."

"Did he make the helicopter and the gas?" Lance asked.

"The toy is courtesy of some store, and the gas…well, I'm guessing it was him," she decided. "Devon was always keen with that kind of stuff. I guess he just watched a lot of shows or something."

"Who is he, anyway?" Lance asked her. "How did you two even meet?"

"Oh, him? Don't worry about him," Kristin said. "He kept needing tons of stuff. Drugs, booze…drugs that most of Neil's clients didn't ask for, hardware, tons of stuff that seemed like junk…frankly, I don't know what it was all for. He used to get what he wanted from Mike's group, but then he fell out of favor with them when he wanted to rescue Mike's girlfriend. Mike wrecked him and his stuff pretty good. And then when he started going out with me, I…well, I had hoped he was man enough to get me out of there. He failed, and Neil punished him even worse with a knife and a lit cigarette."

"Neil singed off his eyebrows?" Lance asked. Kristin shook her head.

"Forcibly plucked, _then _singed the tissue."

"He said it was from a bad chemistry experiment!" Ilana whispered to Octus, who had no visible reaction.

"Then he just ran away," Kristin muttered. "Barely even put up a fight. Did nothing to hurt Neil. I was stuck with him up until you came along." Lance was about to question the validity of Devon's cowardice when she added, "But that's all over now. I can finally go straight and live the way I want to! I think I'll keep the edgy look, though. I kind of like it."

"Fine with me!" Lance said, who personally didn't care about such a subject. Ilana had some thoughts but kept her judgment to herself.

"Now, to celebrate," Kristin declared, turning to Octus (who had by now reverted to his Mr. Lunis hologram) and Ilana, "I just gotta make a phone call." She went into the kitchen for privacy while the Lunis family stayed in the living room. Lance looked guiltily at his allies.

"I am so, so sorry, guys," he said. "I had no idea she had this much baggage with Neil and everything. She seemed kind of aloof, not really wanting to fit in, a bit of a drifter…"

"Your type?" Ilana suggested. Lance blushed and nodded.

"I…it was nice when she was just a girl who I could hang out with, to sort of, you know, get away from you guys a bit."

"What's wrong with us?" Octus asked.

"Nothing! I just…needed my own personal life. But what with how things have been with her...I don't think she's a helpful to the mission." Ilana rolled her eyes.

"What?" Lance asked. She went over to him and affectionately placed a hand on his shoulder.

"This isn't just about me, or the mission, or Galaluna," she said. "I know that things are crazy, but we can have personal lives. I think my father—and yours—would be glad to know that you've found someone special. In light of everything we have to do, it may not last forever. But don't you think we should just not feel like everything is a mission all the time—even if it's just for a little while?"

"Indeed," Octus concurred. "There is a time for everything. Right now, your stress levels have been immense. You've lost a friend, and we did not think it would be optimal for you to lose a girlfriend as well. We helped you because that is simply a common practice of family units throughout the galaxy."

"What he's saying is, we've got your back, just like you have ours," Ilana finished with a warm smile. Kristin returned to the living room just then.

"This is going to be great!" Kristin practically squealed to Lance. "My folks have free time, so you can finally meet them!"

"Your parents?" Lance asked.

"Yeah, I figured the least I could do was offer you into my home—again—and have dinner with my parents. They're nice people, I won't let them embarrass me much. It's about time they knew you, after all."

"Uh…let me talk to the others for a sec," Lance said. Turning to Ilana and Octus, Lance quietly asked, "Still have my back?"

"Certainly!" Ilana said. "But you really want us to go with you? This is kind of just for you."

"Yeah, but you were the ones that came up with the whole thing. You deserve a good meal, too," Lance replied.

"Is there any way your parents can provide dinner for 6?" Octus asked. "We would like to come as well."

"Even better!" Kristin cried. "That way it won't be awkward for anyone!"

So the Lunises and Kristin loaded themselves up in Octus' van for their edible comforts.

. . . . .

Mike rubbed his eyes and found himself surrounded. On three sides, tough guys. And on the fourth…

"What, no!" Mike cried, realizing where he was. "Where's my dad? Can I get my phone call?"

"Looks like that's everybody," another ruffian muttered. "Everybody except Neil."

"What, he's not here?" Mike asked. The other delinquent shook his head.

"No sign of him in the other cells. Thought you had done him in."

"No way, man!" Mike protested. "I don't kill nobody!" So he tried to think of who would.

. . . . .

Neil awoke to found himself in the woods, far from civilization and shelter.

"You're awake. That's good," muttered a familiar voice. "I gave your pistol to the cops. You could try running, but what's the point?"

Neil realized what was going on. He recalled hurting Devon badly, how he had told him he wasn't a real man, how Kristin was his for as long as he saw fit to have her, how Kristin had screamed and protested his treatment of him, how he had done his best to keep her quiet afterwards, binding himself to her and giving her a reason to do the same to other guys until more fresh blood was around for the gang…

For the first time in his life Neil was afraid. Standing up, he heard the sound of a gun loading.

"This is payback, Neil."

**AN: I hope you all enjoyed this! I had originally ended the story with Lance and Kristin breaking up over all of the drama, but I decided this ending would suffice more. No more having to deal with Neil ;)**

**And, as I had said, I added Devon into the plot this time…maybe a bit too strongly, but I guess I can do what I want. I'm just worried I'm letting the plot get taken over by OCs! XD**

**I still have no idea whether the fans prefer Ilanca or…Kristance, as I assume the ship is named. Heck, I myself have no idea what to do about that. But I've got 20 more episodes, so I've got plenty of time!**

**Also, I've been accepted into that creative writing program! So in a few weeks I might have to do that more. I'll still be around here, of course, but I don't think I can show you anything that's "original", due to the nature of this site.**


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